Refurbished MiG-15 fighter bomber unveiled

The unveiling ceremony of the MiG-15bis SB aircraft at Kbely airport, Prague, was seen as a symbolic return of the recently overhauled aircraft which will be displayed as part of the Air Museum collection at the Kbely Military History Institute.

The legendary MiG-15bis SB fighter bomber No. 3255, put into commission on 19th May 1956, and decommissioned in 1983 by the Czechoslovak Air Force, was returned to the Air Museum on 8th December after complete restoration by engineers at the Military Technical Institute.

The director of the MTI, Jiri Protiva, said the restoration signified the complex and exacting technological process which comprised dozens of operations. "The restoration took five months and it is another example of our contribution to and cooperation with the Military History Institute. The Messerschmitt Me-262 and Jakovlev Jak-17 aircraft is another example of military aircraft previously restored in cooperation with the institute," added Protiva.

The ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister of Defence Tomas Kuchta, the Director of the Military History Institute, Colonel Ales Knizek, and a number of former MiG-15 pilots.

The public can see the "new" exhibit at the Kbely Air Museum from end of April 2017 when the summer exposition season begins.